The New York Giants currently have just about $24 million in available cap space in 2024 according to Over the Cap, which means they’ll likely attempt to free up some more ahead of the new league year in March.
After all, there are major holes to fill on this roster and $24 million will dry up quickly in the modern-day NFL. On that note, one potential cap casualty is veteran offensive lineman Mark Glowinski.
In fact, Bleacher Report writer Kris Knox called him the “most obvious” cut candidate on the Giants roster heading into the offseason. “[Glowinski] hasn’t lived up to the three-year, $18.3 million deal he signed in 2022,” Knox argued, noting that the blocker was “effectively benched early in the [2023] season.”
“Releasing Glowinski should be an easy decision, as he’ll turn 32 in May and simply hasn’t been a dependable starter for the Giants,” the analyst concluded later. “Doing so would generate a dead-cap hit of $1.5 million but would save $5.6 million in cap space.”
Mark Glowinski’s Inconsistent Second Season Could Be Last With the Giants
Releasing offensive linemen may not feel smart given all the absences in 2023, but it’s the right move in the case of Glowinski.
The nine-year NFL journeyman started 18 games in 2022 including the playoffs. This year, he only started six — and most of those starts were due to all of the injuries around him.
Glowinski was first benched after getting absolutely abused by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, a game in which he allowed nine quarterback pressures and three sacks according to Pro Football Focus. Later, the 31-year-old returned to the lineup in Week 5 after limited action the three weeks prior.
Glowinski’s brief resurgence lasted up until Week 9 — a game he did not play in. He finished the season with 13 appearances and one final start in Week 18, his sixth of the year and his 24th as a Giant.
In the end, PFF graded him a 69.6 as a run blocker, which is decent, but his pass protection numbers were poor. The 53.4 pass blocking mark included six charged sacks and 24 QB pressures in just 303 passing snaps.
For reference, Glowinski was on the field for 695 pass blocking snaps in 2022 and only allowed five sacks and 37 QB pressures. Needless to say, year two with Big Blue was a major regression for the guard.
Glowinski is a former fourth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He spent the bulk of his career with the Indianapolis Colts before signing on with Brian Daboll and the Giants. Entering his age-32 campaign, his future in the league could be uncertain.
Giants Could Use Mark Glowinski Savings to Upgrade OL
Don’t worry, an OL cut doesn’t necessarily mean the blocking unit will automatically get worse. The Giants have been connected to New England Patriots free agent Michael Onwenu as a potential target this offseason.
A versatile, experienced starter like Onwenu wouldn’t come cheap, however, and that extra $5.6 million could factor into his contract.
Obviously, the Glowinski replacement doesn’t have to be Onwenu but the point still remains. The Giants cannot afford to spend that kind of money on a borderline starter, and they should use said money to upgrade the position.
Several other intriguing free agent options include Miami Dolphins guard Robert Hunt, Green Bay Packers guard Jon Runyan, Los Angeles Rams guard Kevin Dotson, Cincinnati Bengals tackle Jonah Williams and Dolphins center Connor Williams (recovering from torn ACL) among others.
It’s time for Big Blue to get a little younger around Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz, and that process starts with ridding themselves of Glowinski.
